Ciao, amici! All this week, instead of my usual features, I’m happy to be hosting my fellow SE authors in a promotional event. Without further ado…

Welcome to the first day of Story Empire’s Something Wicked Tour. Today, I am delighted to welcome Joan Hall, who is going to talk about her novel, Unseen Motives, and the root of all evil. Take it away, Joan!

Hi, Staci. I’m super excited to be with you today for the kickoff of Story Empire’s Something Wicked Tour. I look forward to interacting with your readers.

It’s been said, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” This is probably one of the more misquoted Bible verses as many believe it to be “money is the root of all evil.” It’s not the money itself, but greed.

Throughout history, there have been many cases of crime committed in the name of greed. Here in the United States, we often hear of embezzlement cases or Ponzi schemes. In the 1980s, the FBI arrested four employees of the First National Bank of Chicago when they attempted to transfer $70 million to various dummy accounts in Australia.

Financier Robert Vesco was a prominent figure in several embezzlement cases in the 1970s. More recently, Bernie Madoff was found guilty of a $50 Billion Ponzi Scheme.

But what happens when greed and the love of money result in murder? That’s what happens in my book, Unseen Motives, the first of the Driscoll Lake Series. What’s worse, the killer wasn’t caught until twenty years after the fact.

Stephanie Harris was only fourteen when her father was accused of stealing company funds. She and her mother left the small town of Driscoll Lake after his apparent suicide. Twenty years later, she returns, determined to learn what happened. But someone doesn’t want her to know the truth.

Excerpt:

Where was she? Why did her body ache all over? Stephanie opened her eyes to see the shattered windshield and deployed airbags.

Someone forced me off the road.

How long had she been here? Did she lose consciousness? Her head throbbed, and something warm trickled down the left side of her face. She recognized the metallic smell of blood and reached to wipe it away, wincing with pain when she tried to move her wrist.

She attempted to call for help, but the words came out in a whisper. A loud silence enveloped her. There was no one around. She was all alone. A terrifying thought came to her. What if the driver came back? Checked to see if she was still alive? He might try to finish what he started.

She heard voices. Someone was shouting.

“There’s a car down there. Near the creek.”

“Hurry. Call 9-1-1 and stay here until help arrives. I’ll check on the occupants.”

She heard footsteps draw close and a beam of light shone through the shattered window.

“Ma’am, can you hear me? Are you all right?”

“Head hurts. I think it’s bleeding.”

“My wife has called for help. Someone will be along shortly.”

Stephanie wanted to sleep but tried to stay awake by forcing herself to remember details of the accident.

Think. You were on your way home. It was a black pickup truck. Probably the same one from the week before.

She heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. A car door slammed. Another voice.

“What happened?”

“A car went off the road. I’ve already called 9-1-1. My husband’s down there. A woman is inside. She’s alive, but banged up.”

More footsteps. Someone was running. The steps came closer.

“Glad you’re here, sir. She has a nasty bump on the head and some cuts.”

She heard Matt’s voice. “Stephanie. Oh, dear God!”

Blurb:

Things aren’t always as they seem…

Stephanie Harris is no stranger to mystery and suspense. The author of several best-selling thrillers returns to her hometown of Driscoll Lake twenty years after her father’s suicide when her great-aunt Helen dies.

She hopes to settle Helen’s affairs as quickly as possible and leave behind the place where she suffered so much heartache. Soon after her arrival, Stephanie stumbles upon information that leads her to believe that all is not as it seems.

When she digs deeper into secrets long buried, she begins to receive warning notes and mysterious phone calls. The threats soon escalate into deliberate attempts to harm her. Stephanie soon finds herself caught in a web of deceit and danger.

Undaunted, Stephanie searches for clues about the scandal surrounding her father’s death. But discovering the truth places her in the path of a cold-blooded killer.

I am so happy to have kicked off the tour with Joan’s post. Greed is the root of all evil, and she did a fabulous job of illustrating that point in her book. If you haven’t already read it, I encourage you to do so. If you like mysteries, you’ll love it.

Please use those sharing buttons, and leave a comment to show Joan some love. And when you’re done, I hope you’ll join me at Mae Clair’s site, where I’m talking about aliens, ancient lore, and the Great Serpent Mound. Arrivederci!

I wouldn’t have a clue where to begin. It was a challenge to write this, so I didn’t focus too much on that part. Sadly I personally know two people who embezzled smaller amounts of money. Sad situation.